You can also write about the opposite: Which character would you never want to date? Why? What qualities do they have that you find unappealing?
Alternate only if there are no characters you would consider dating:
Which character in your book would make a great or terrible friend? What qualities does he/she possess that would make them worthy or not deserving of your friendship?
Which character in your book would make a great or terrible friend? What qualities does he/she possess that would make them worthy or not deserving of your friendship?
Patrick D’Andrea
ReplyDeleteQ4, Reading Response #3
April 5, 2013
If you could date any character in your book, who would it be? Why? What characteristics does he/she possess that you find desirable? Personality? Physically appealing?
I recently read Tom Robbin’s Still Life with Woodpecker, an unusual love story about a disgraced princess and a terrorist. In all the books I’ve read, I cannot think of a character I am more physically and mentally attracted to than Leigh Cheri, the princess. She is not the princess you would find in fairy tales. In fact, at the beginning of the novel we learn that Leigh Cheri has sworn to never be with a man again because she had a miscarriage in the middle of cheerleading at one of her high school football games. Embarrassed, she locked herself in her room, avoiding society. Despite her tainted past, I would still want to date Leigh-Cheri because as the story develops she learns to love again, but what most attracts me to her is her intellect and commitment to genuine love, even if she falls for a self-proclaimed “outlaw.”
I like to date women who are interested in sharing original ideas about life, and who demonstrate a commitment to our relationship that transcends words. Leigh-Cheri develops these qualities, and she also happens to be beautiful. Although she has a questionable past, having had a miscarriage in front of most of her high school, I am still wildly attracted to her. I don’t mind when people have made mistakes with sex or love in the past, because God knows I have. Sometimes those mistakes help make us better people, and I believe Leigh-Cheri becomes an amazing person and an ideal mate by the end of the book. Leigh-Cheri is so dedicated to her relationship that she locks herself in her room for years just to experience and connect with the “outlaw” after he gets arrested for his past acts of terrorism. Even though Bernard, the “outlaw,” has bombed one of her favorite places in the past, she demonstrates absolute commitment and empathy that she would be willing to “follow him to the ends of the earth,” not to mention connect with him on a spiritual level through her isolation. I want someone to experience life with and someone who will be my partner in crime, like Leigh-Cheri.
Reading this book made me evaluate my life and what I am attracted to in a woman. While physical appearance is important, I could not spend the rest of my life with someone who does not reciprocate the same amount of commitment that I feel. I also realized how important devotion and originality is to me through Leigh-Cheri and Bernard’s relationship. From now on, I will look more closely for these qualities before I start dating someone.